Instep-stretcher for boots or shoes



(No Model.)

J. G. GREEN. INSTEP STRETGHBR FOB. BOOTS 0R. SHOES.

No. 566,572. Patented Aug. 25, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN C. GREEN, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

lNSTEP-STRETCHER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,572, dated August25, 1896.

Application filed May 22, 1896. Serial No. 592,672. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN G. GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Instep-Stretchers forBoots or Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to boot and shoe stretchers.

The object herein is to provide a stretcher with better means forstretching the instepseams of footwear.

In the drawings herewith, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of ashoe-stretcher,showing my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of a portion of a stretcher, also showing theinstep-stretcher.

In the figures, a represents the stretcherbody; I), athread-barlyingtherein; c, ablock for spreading the portions of the body a. Ablock cl, operated by the thread-bar b, is used to raise and lower aninstep-stretcher (not shown herein) and is also used to operate theportion of the invention to which this application refers. Atoe-stretcher e and a heelstretcher f are also shown, but will havenothing to do with the operation of the device to be described. Theparts thus alluded to have been used before and are protected in aformerapplication of mine, bearing Serial No. 581,339, filed February 29,1895,but the part to which I would now direct special attention is theinstepetretcher A, which is a tongue substantially of the form shown,which rests by its inner curve at a; upon the edge or point g of thebody a, which edge is left by the'opening h within which the block bmoves. As may be seen, the said stretcherAis designed to rock upon theedge g, and its heel B depends or hangs within the opening it, and thetoe or forward end 0 thereof projects above and forward of the uppersurface of the body. Now in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1the stretcher is in its lowest position, the operating-block d beingcarried rearwardly to allow the heel B to hang freely. Using the pointor edge g as the fulcrum for the tongue or stretcher A, the thread-bar bis turned in a direction to carry the block cl forward or in a directionto depress the heel B and thus raise the forward end or toe G to theposition shown by unbroken lines in Fig. 1. The position shown may beexaggerated to some extent in the drawings, but it shows the almostunlimited movement and the results which may be obtained thereby.

Different sizes of the tongue A may be used to acquire differentresults, and it is obvious that the said tongue may be pivoted to thebody a and still produce the desired results. I have not described theoperation or particular construction or location of the several otherparts of the device, as they have been described and used heretofore;neither do they enter into the operation of the particular portionsdescribed, except as to the threadbar I) and block d.

I am not aware of a device of this character or of a deviceaccomplishing anywhere near like the results of this device, and therefore- What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a device for stretching insteps of boots and shoes, a body or last a,forming the support or base, a tongue pivoted to or having its fulcrumon the said support or base, one extremity of said tongue being designedto'come in contact with the portion to be stretched, the oppositeextremity depending within the support or base and operated by suitablemeans whereby the said tongue is raised or lowered for the purposes setforth and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. GREEN.

Vitnesses:

ARTHUR KEITHLEY, O. JOHNSON.

